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Now it´s official: Volvo is going to start in the Rallyraid-Sport. But not as official work-team: Volvo of Sweden is supporting the private "Pewano Team", which is building two Volvo XC60 CC. Head of the project is Pelle Wallentheim, a motorsport-specialist in Rally and STCC-Touring Car Championship.

The both Volvo are based on a tubular frame with carbon-skin and will be powered by a Volvo 2,4 litres-engine. "We are working on the Project for 1,5 years" Wallentheim told the Swedish Television SVT. "The cars are built in Gothenburg. Our main goal is the Dakar Rally 2012, but we will start in 2011 in the FIA Cross Country World Cup in different rallies."

As team-manager the team involved the Swedish navigator Tina Thoerner. While Pelle Wallentheim will drive the first car together with Olle Ohlsson, the second car will be navigated by Tina Thoerner. But better: The team is talking about a "Comeback" of Jutta Kleinschmidt. "This sport is dominated by men" Wallentheim told, "so we want to go our way with a women-team."

The XC60 CC will not be the first Volvo at the Dakar Rally. After a "Lapplander" in the 80s, in 2003 a team from Norway startet with a prepared Volvo Station Wagon, but failed. In 2005 they tried to start again, but the Volvo fell down from the Trailer during the transport to Barcelona, so the Norwegian team rented a "Matzker Land Rover" in Germany - and reached the finish line.